While on the subject of Regal cinemas... Regal sucks.

[DrWeird]

They bought up pretty much every single large movie theater here in the PNW. I have never, ever seen any kind of business decline so fast due to new ownership as I did with Regal cinemas.

It used to be you could go out on a saturday after noon, catch a matinee. Maybe get some snacks if you're feeling spendy. And enjoy a movie for a couple of hours.

Now the "matinees" cost only slightly less than the regular screening. A regular pop costs as much as a 24 pack at the 7-11. Instead of having a staff with a manager and a full staff of local college students making ends meet, the whole thing is run by a skeleton crew of GED holders. The bathrooms are are Superfund sites (it used to be that I wouldn't drink a lot of soda before a movie, so I wouldn't miss anything. Now it's so I don't have to use the bathroom). And apparently instead of projectionists they got the same meth addict who sold you your ticket running the projector. On numerous occasions the film has literally stopped in the middle of the movie and those commercial slides come up; I assume because nobody loaded the next reel.

They even fucked up the phone message service where you call in to see what time your film is playing. Regal cinemas owns two large theaters in my local area, they share the same phone line. When you first call up, you get an automated voice saying: "Thank you for selecting Regal cinemas. (like I have a choice). This is the general information menu. Due to safety concerns (you can't sneak any food) we no longer allow backpacks, purses, shopping bags... pack animals.... or shipping crates into the theater. Thank you for your cooperation. If you would like to purchase passes of gift certificates, please stay in this menu. The current showing of "Some Stupid Shit" does not accept passes or gift certificates at this time. Any person wishing to view any movie rated R, must be 18 or accompanied by a parent. Advanced ticket sales for "Harry Potter 3," "The Passion 2", and "Ernest Shops at Walmart" will be available at a later date. If you wish to bypass this information and hear only showtimes, please enter the following theater code. Remember... Due to safety concerns (you can't sneak any food) we no longer allow backpacks, purses, shopping bags... pack animals.... or shipping crates into the theater. Thank you for your cooperation. If you would like to purchase passes of gift certificates, please stay in this menu. The current showing of "Some Stupid Shit" does not accept passes or gift certificates at this time. Any person wishing to view any movie rated R, must be 18 or accompanied by a parent. Advanced ticket sales for "Harry Potter 4," "The Passion 2", and "Ernest Shops at Walmart" will be available at a later date. If you are calling for Albany cinemas, press one. Ninth street cinemas, press two...

Thank you for calling Ninth street cinemas. If you are calling for weekday showtimes, press one.For weekend showtimes, press two.

(pressing two)

Thank you for choosing Ninth street cinemas. Due to safety concerns (you can't sneak any food) we no longer allow backpacks, purses, shopping bags... pack animals.... or shipping crates into the theater. Thank you for your cooperation. If you would like to purchase passes of gift certificates, please stay in this menu. The current showing of "Some Stupid Shit" does not accept passes or gift certificates at this time. Any person wishing to view any movie rated R, must be 18 or accompanied by a parent. Advanced tickets for "Harry Potter 4" are now availble. The film opens on July 29th, 2006. Showtimes are: 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30, 5:00, 5:30, 7:00, 7:30, 9:00, and 9:30. Advance tickets are now available for "The Passion 2", opening March 31st, 2007. Showtimes at: 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30, 5:00, 5:30, 7:00, 7:30, 9:00, and 9:30.
We currently no longer allow backpacks, purses, or anything you can carry food with. Any children viewing a movie that is rated R must be accompanied by a parent. The following showtimes are valid from Monday, June 22th, through Sunday, July 29th. We are currently showing: Garfield. Soul Plane. Dodgeball. Van Helsing. and The Day After Tomorrow. For Garfield, Soul Plane, Dodgeball, Van Helsing, and The Day After Tomorrow passes and gift certificates will not be accepted. Garfield shows at 1:00...

[Gators4Dean]

1. Regal in Gainesville is showing this movie

And this site www.right-wingattackmachine.com, is setting up an anti-Michael Moore party. The website says it will be, "hosting an impromptu gathering before going and seeing propagandist Michael Moore’s new movie “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

What is happening on College campuses these days.

[LynneSin]

2. This is why I carry giant size purses to the movie theaters

My closest theater is the Regal. It's a nice theater, but I can't see paying $4 for a bottle of water. So I have a giant size purse just for the occasion and I usually toss in one or 2 bottles of water. I'll still pay the outrageous price for the popcorn, but at least I'm drinking my own much cheaper water.

BTW, my Regal is showing 9-11

[Unperson 309]

10. The Missus and I Saw

Harry Potter last weekend.

We parked and I zipped into the local drugstore and bought 1 bag of chocolate Bridge Mix and 1 of Skittles and a bottle of soda. Total cost, just under $6.00

The Missus decided to throw herself on the mercy of the concession stand. She bought 1 large popcorn and 1 bottle of water. Her total was almost $10.00! YIKES! And the tickets, of course, were (matinee) $14.00!

Well, folks, THAT just TEARS it! From now on, I am packing my own damn snacks IN and packing the papers out again! To HELL with paying the concession stand gouge-prices! For *forty two* years, I've been the good guy, not sneaking stuff into the theaters, but DAMN the greedyguts tactics of charging up the yingyang for maybe $2.00 worth of heated corn kernels and tapwater! PFAUGH!

309

[fofer]

3. DrWeird, can I just say. . .

. . .that I love your use of the word "spendy"? It made me giggle.

We have Regals here in southeast PA, but most are pretty decent, although not my first pick by any means. I like my local Clearview, which shows eclectic stuff and has good snacks. :-)

[LynneSin]

4. Welcome to DU Fofer

if you're in the Southeast PA you should join us at Ritz East for the 8:30 showing of Farhenheit 9/11. A bunch of us DUers are meeting there to go watch the movie!!

[fofer]

7. Thanks, LynneSin!

I work not far from Ritz East, actually! Maybe I'll see you guys there. Some Dems at my company are getting up a party, too, although I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to go.

fofer

[Twillig]

5. And they closed down the Whitside and the State theaters,

the Motherfuckers, because they were only 1 screen theaters.

Now some other Mega chain is fixin' to run Regal outta town with a twelve screen abomination even farther flung from downtown.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

wheee.

[Flaxbee]

6. my husband doesn't like the theaters, either, but

it's the closest one to us that'll be showing Farenheit 9/11... so we're gonna go.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. One of the advantages of living in Minneapolis as opposed to Portland

is that the theaters are owned by more than one company.

Regal is just as bad you say, and they nearly caused riots in Portland when they insisted on showing that idiotic pseudo-Western Pepsi commercial with Hayley Kay Eisenberg before every single show for what seemed like years.

[mvd]

9. Well, on the bright side

The Regal nearest me has decided to show Fahrenheit 9/11! :bounce: :bounce: